Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Liam Finn finally releases the follow-up to 2011's acclaimed FOMO next week. Pitchfork Advance is streaming the full album here with some instagrammy photos and vines short vids to go along with your listening pleasure.

Finn is pushing it to the edge again with The Nihilist, but being Neil's kid can't be easy (he even ends the album with a tune called Wrestle With Dad! Hmm). Liam is finding his way just fine!

Matt Pond has released a new album via NoiseTrade called Skeletons and Friends. It's free as a thank you to supportive fans. But upon first listen, I feel a bit guilty about that. Of course you can tip on NoiseTrade and upon first listen it deserves a hefty one.

Perhaps strangely, it’s mostly about hope. Sometimes the forces surrounding will set you adrift, amiss in the sea of music.

Holy hell I can relate to that these days; a sea of music indeed. Beautiful. Enjoy.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Justin Currie is best known as the lead singer-songwriter of Del Amitri, a band sadly best known for Roll To Me. In the Too Poppy Universe, Currie is one of the best songwriters of his generation; dry, melancholic, witty, and in its ultimate meaning, lyrical.

Out today - at least in US digital stores - is his latest solo album Lower Reaches. Allmusic.com calls it "a collection of road-ready, Scots-spun Americana that feels both loose and lived in." That's not the first time I've seen Currie called Americana and superficially I get it, but his songs are certainly more universal. Can't wait to download this one and I encourage you to do the same. In fact, dig deeper. Explore beyond Roll To Me and if you're a fan of contemplative, romantic, and often soul-crushing tunes then you will not regret it.